Boards & Commissions

The Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR), is composed of seven members: one from land district and two at large, and the Chairperson, the executive head of the Department. The BLNR convenes twice monthly to review and take action on department submittals, including land leases and Conservation District Use Applications (CDUAs).

The commission administers the State Water Code, which was created by the 1987 Hawaii State Legislature. The Water Commission’s general mission is to protect and enhance the water resources of the State of Hawaii through wise and responsible management.

List of Other Boards …

Aha Moku Advisory Committee

The Aha Moku Advisory Committee (AMAC) is composed of eight members, one from each of the main Hawaiian Islands. Members are selected from the Aha Moku Councils of each Island through a Hawaiian process of consensus. This process stems from the generational Native Hawaiian way through which the traditional natural and cultural practitioners and experts of each moku on each island select the person best suited to represent their moku.

Endangered Species Recovery Committee

The Endangered Species Recovery Committee (1) Reviews all applications and proposals for habitat conservation plans, safe harbor agreements, and incidental take licenses and make recommendations, based on a full review of the best available scientific and other reliable data and at least one site visit to each property that is the subject of the proposed action, and in consideration of the cumulative impacts of the proposed action on the recovery potential of the endangered, threatened, proposed, or candidate species, to the department and the board of land and natural resources as to whether or not they should be approved, amended, or rejected; (2) Reviews all habitat conservation plans, safe harbor agreements, and incidental take licenses on an annual basis to ensure compliance with agreed to activities and, on the basis of any available monitoring reports, and scientific and other reliable data, make recommendations for any necessary changes; (3) Considers and recommends appropriate incentives to encourage landowners to voluntarily engage in efforts that restore and conserve endangered, threatened, proposed, and candidate species.

Game Management Advisory Commission

The Game Management Advisory Commission was established by Legislature to serve in an advisory capacity to the board to recommend policies and criteria regarding the management, protection, and promotion of public hunting in Hawaii and may recommend amendments to existing department policies and procedures relating to hunting, particularly regarding chapters 122, 123, and 124 of title 13, Hawaii Administrative Rules.

Game Management Advisory Commission State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife 1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 325 Honolulu, HI 96813

Hawaii Historic Places Review Board

In deciding whether a property should be entered and ordered into the Hawai`i Register, the Hawai`i Historic Places Review Board evaluates whether the property meets or possesses significance in Hawaiian history, architecture, archaeology, and culture.

Some of the other criteria considered by the board include association with events that have made a significant contribution to broad patterns of our history; association with the lives of persons significant in our past; possession of high artistic value; designs and techniques typical of a time period; or potential to yield information important in prehistory or history.

Quarterly meetings are held on Saturdays at the Kalanimoku Building at 1151 Punchbowl Street, Meeting Room 132, Honolulu Hawaii 96813 (Diamond Head side of the State Capitol)

Island Burial Councils

Island Burial councils have scheduled meetings once each month on their respective islands. All Council members are appointed by the Governor of Hawai`i and confirmed by the Senate for a four year term. Expiration dates for council members are shown in parentheses following their names. No council member may serve more than two consecutive terms. All meetings by the council are open to the public. Any person may submit oral or written testimony to the council regarding a matter under consideration, provided that applicants first submit a written request to the department to be placed on the council meeting agenda. For more details on the History & Culture Branch or the Island Burial Councils, please refer to the program rules and regulations. Click here to see meeting agendas and minutes for an Island Burial Council.

Kaho`olawe Island Reserve Commission

The Legislature created the Kaho`olawe Island Reserve Commission (KIRC) to manage the Kaho’olawe Island Reserve while it is held in trust for a future Native Hawaiian sovereign entity. The KIRC uses the federal funds designated for State responsibilities in the restoration effort. The KIRC is administratively attached to the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Legacy Land Conservation Commission

The Legacy Land Conservation Commission (LLCC) is a nine-member State commission created by Act 254, SLH 2006, to advise the Board of Land and Natural Resources on projects proposed for funding under HRS, Chapter 173A (Acquisition of Resource Value Lands). Guided by the statutory priorities of HRS, section 173A-2.6, the Commission conducts a grant application process, public review of applications, and decision making with staff support from the Legacy Land Conservation Program, Division of Forestry and Wildlife.

Legacy Land Conservation Commission
State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources
Division of Forestry and Wildlife
1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 325
Honolulu, HI 96813

Natural Area Reserves System Commission

The Natural Area Reserves System (NARS) Commission was established by the Legislature in 1971 to preserve and protect as unmodified as possible, in perpetuity, examples of Hawai’i’s unique terrestrial and aquatic natural resources, in order that present and future generations may be able to learn about and appreciate these natural assets. It advises the Board of Land and Natural Resources and the Governor on matters having to do with native ecosystems.